A man was heading to his workplace in Sylacauga, Alabama when he came across something unexpected in a wooded area. Huddled together and shivering were six tiny little puppies, furless and with bright pink, chapped skin. He hurriedly brought them to a nearby shelter.

Shelter staff were shocked to see these tiny puppies in such bad condition. They were guessed to be cocker spaniel mix pups, though it was impossible to tell due to their lack of fur. The guess was based on their mere 5-pound weight, indicating a smaller breed of pup.

The puppies were very cold and had scabies alongside being emaciated. Staff had to put on masks in order to give them a bath as they smelled so strongly awful.

They had likely been severely neglected, and they needed way more medical care than the shelter could currently provide. So they posted a plea for assistance on Facebook, and Second City Canine Rescue (SCCR) answered the call.

SCCR helped take the puppies to get the necessary medical care at Auburn Veterinary College. Once they were a little better, they were placed evenly in two foster homes, where they had to receive good meals and regular medicated baths. They needed a lot of care, but their foster parents made sure to care for them well.

Soon, the pups were able to be adopted! But shockingly, the puppies didn’t stay as small as they were expected to be for long. Turns out that they aren’t cocker spaniels – they’re pure Great Pyrenees!

In just a few months, they were happy and healthy again, and it wasn’t long before they no longer resembled their little 5-pound selves.